Laurel was dressed to the nines today watching the clock tick slowly. She had the next two days off and Gavin was expected within the hour along with a group of twenty on this flight. Dan, Dan the poker man was bringing a crew with him. Niesha had the card room decked out and ready to go. Her uncle would be there by five ready to serve up the drinks.
Tomorrow wondered what the man did for a living to afford so many trips here. She knew what Gavin was coming for, a deluxe booty call, and Laurel was waiting to give it to him. She found herself jealous Laurel had someone and Yesterday had Ty wrapped around her finger. Thank God, their infatuation hadn't interfered with his job or hers. She kept a tight fist on the money. She could tell you almost to the second what the balance was in the corporate account. They owed no taxes for years with the amount of money Lucas spent on the remodel of the hotel.
A booty call sounded good to Tomorrow she should be ashamed to be even thinking that way. Lucas had only been dead three months, but damn seeing all these good-looking men strut their stuff through here day in and day out. Most looked her over as if they wouldn't mind taking a taste of that. She could use someone tasting her about now. She had lucked out and morning sickness had been nothing. She was a little icky for a few days and that is all. Now she is dealing with the horny all the time aspects of pregnancy.
She wished David would come see her. She spoke to him a week ago just a check in kind of call. She was sure if she had told him she wanted to fuck his brains out as a friend he would come. Chuckling to herself at what that telephone conversation would be like. At this point, you still couldn't tell she was pregnant. Yesterday and she checked last night as she lay flat on the bed all they could see is a slight bulge. It is not making itself known very quickly.
But like Yesterday said, maybe it is good, and you won't get stretch marks. She sits still wearing the same sundress she has always worn waiting for taxis full of men to drive up to the overhang. Dan, Dan the poker man will be here, maybe he wouldn't mind giving her some attention while he is here, she wondered as the first cab pulled up. Dan was quickly forgotten as a gorgeous man stepped out of the first cab. He was tall, light-colored hair and my God handsome.
He looks like he got off work and caught a flight here. He was still dressed in a white shirt and slacks with his suit coat draped over his arm as he turned to look the place over. A slow smile touched his face then sadness took it over. Tomorrow wondered what that was about, he only had a small case with him. He must not plan to stay, she thought too bad with just one look, and he had stirred her juices.
Tomorrow jumped up as he approached the desk, four other taxis were unloading rowdy men as Laurel waved to Gavin standing in the middle of those men.
"Could I help you," Tomorrow asked a little flustered. This was a damn good-looking man even up close. Sandy blond hair, blue gray eyes the color of that battleship in the San Jacinto River, sexy soft lips yes this is a sexy man.
"Yes, I'm checking in, my name is Keith Michaels," he said as his smile came back almost as if his name was to be known.
Tomorrow gave him a tentative smile because he was setting off way too many sparks in her nether region.
"You wouldn't by chance be Tomorrow would you," he asked as his face flushed with anticipation of her answer. Mrs. Berrington described her as blond and fragile. As far as he could see, she was the only blond around here, but she didn't look fragile. Just then, another one came out of a door that looked very similar to the one in front of him. She walked behind the desk and was helping another guest. He looked back at the one in front of him.
"I am why do you want to know," she asked, sounding fearful. What if he is a killer and the FBI was all wrong, or maybe he is an FBI and is checking up on her. She waited for the answer ready to drop behind the desk if he reaches for a gun.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you, I heard about your situation," he told her as Dan walked up behind the man.
"Yeah, sweetie, how are you doing?" he called out over his shoulder looming large behind him. Dan was not much taller, but he was wider and about fifty pounds heavier than this man who knew her name. All Dan knew is he didn't like the expression on Tomorrow's face and this man put it there.
"So, what is going on," he asked, nodding his head in the man's direction.
"I'm not sure," she said, sounding very confused. The man turned and looked at Dan sizing him up.
"Well then why don't we step to the side and figure it out," Dan suggested aggressively. He was getting ready to take this man down. No way was someone going to hurt her again while he was around.
Keith bent down to pick up his case as Tomorrow followed Dan's suggestion and they all made their way to the middle of the lobby. Staff all paid close attention as Diego made his way to Tomorrow's side. Ty stepped out of the office when the noise level dropped suddenly. Keith followed, not being sure if it was his name that set all this off. Had Lucas so hated him that even the staff knew about the situation?
"Listen, I'm not looking for a problem, I just came out to pay my respects to Lucas's wife and see how he changed the hotel," he said, almost feeling he needed to put his hands up and surrender.
"Who are you again?" Tomorrow asked as she reached out to Dan taking a hold of his arm and pulling him to her on the other side by Diego. Dan quickly obliged and draped his arm around her protectively as if to say you have to go through me.
"I'm Keith Michaels, I was Lucas's best friend until I did something very stupid. I called his mother a couple of days ago and she told me he died. I just wanted to pay my respects and meet the woman he married. I'm assuming that is you."
"You're the girlfriend stealer?" Tomorrow asked with a slight smile. Yeah, she knew who he was. Lucas hadn't said his name, just what he did. She thought it seemed to hurt too much to speak his name.
"That is me and boy did I learn my lesson."
"Ok guys chill out I know who he is it's a false alarm," Tomorrow called out pulled Dan down and placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered, "You did a better job than the FBI now go check in and your room is free."
"No, but thanks we will talk later," he said and kissed her cheek. Shaking hands with Keith he said, "Lucas was a friend and is sorely missed." Keith patted him on the shoulder as he walked away, and the noise level returned. She noticed his face redden and his eyes water. Tomorrow extended her hand towards the couch in the lobby as an invitation to sit. Diego still watched him closely and hung around in the background. Tomorrow knew he was ready to pounce if Keith did anything to her.
"I'm sorry, but Lucas never told me your name. He spoke of you a few times as his best friend. I'm afraid discussing you upset him badly. He said he did all this," she said, extending her arms out to encompass the place after they sat down. "So, you two could have your pick of the bevy of beauties that passed through here. But you somehow lost your mind and married a bitch. His words," she said, watching his reaction.
"Boy, that's right, she got her hooks in me, and I couldn't find a way out. Until I found her in bed with my partner. Lesson learned," Keith said, looking disgusted about what he did. With a shake of her head and a slight chuckle, Tomorrow reached out and squeezed his hand. The sparks were gone, he had hurt her man badly. She could never betray him like that. However, she could see why his ex-girlfriend was interested in him, he reminded her of Lucas in so many ways. That casual, lazy smile, and hint of mischief in his eyes they must have been nothing but trouble together.
"Yeah, he told me he would have never married her, and he couldn't understand why you did," Tomorrow offered as a condolence. "I assume she is really good in bed."
Looking at her, he smiled, boy, she was bold, "yes, she was for a while, but someone else caught her attention my law partner."
"How are you going to be able to work with your partner?"
"Oh, we are fine. I just told him good luck. He dumped her the following week. She has had a string of bad luck. He actually did me a favor, she received nothing, we had a prenup with a no cheat clause.
"We had one too if he cheated, I would have received ten million dollars," Tomorrow told him.
"Smart girl."
"Oh, I didn't do it, Lucas did. He swore he would never cheat and made sure it would hurt if he did."
"Smart man."
"So, why did you come and what do you want to accomplish?"
"I came because I planned to come and beg him for forgiveness. I was a fool, and I listened to her plans for the future, they did sound good," Keith confessed looking sad.
"So, you loved her?"
"I guess our version of love. It sure didn't last."
"I'm sorry. At least it should have been wonderful to break up your tight friendship," Tomorrow told him.
"I know; right."
"I'm pregnant," Tomorrow said quietly.
"Oh wow, congratulations, you'll still have a part of him."
"Yes, my thoughts exactly," she said and reached out and patted his hand. "He wanted a baby by Christmas, and we started trying about three days before we got married. I'm now almost three months pregnant. As you know, when he set his mind to something, he got it."
"That is my Lucas alright. I read on the computer about your case and Mrs. Berrington told me what she knew. Sounds like you had a hard time for quite a while. A lot of pain, lots of loss."
"I have but it is all over now. I'm determined to make this the place to come to for vacation," Tomorrow told him as she watched the players file into the card room. She noted a few women followed the group.
"Would you like a tour of the place? See how Lucas changed things around," Tomorrow asked, looking around for someone to conduct the tour. Not seeing Niesha, she changes the plan. "How about we get you in your room and when you come down, I'll have someone show you around. I'm afraid I'm about at my limit and need to rest for a while."
"Yeah, sure," he said, picking up his bag and giving her a concerned look.
"Don't be worried I just wear out quickly," she offered and took him to the now empty check in desk. All the noise was coming from the card room. Nixing the charge to the room Laurel gave him a keycard.
Diego saw her distress and came to her side. She made her introductions, leaving out how he hurt Lucas. She wanted these two to be friendly.
Tomorrow found Keith playing cards a few hours later. They had a boisterous game going and Keith was raking in a large pile of chips as she made her entrance. Dan turned in his chair and patted his knee as Keith made neat stacks of the winnings. Taking the invitation, Tomorrow sat on his knee and turned to hug his neck.
"You rested now," he asked and kissed her neck playfully.
"Yes, I was looking for a dinner partner," she said looking at Keith.
"Sure, take him. He is very good at poker. You will give us underlings a chance to win for once," One of the other men said. His stack was getting low. Tomorrow didn't know what they started out with, but he was going down quickly. She was glad to see he was having a good time. He seemed so sad before. He had just learned his best friend was dead, he should be sad.
She gave Dan a quick hug and grabbed an almost empty peanut bowl, dumped it into another bowl and handed it to Keith. Taking the hint, he scooped his winnings into the bowl and stood.
"I will be back, hold my place," he said with a grin and took Tomorrow's arm to lead her to the dining area.
"I take it, you know this game?"
"Yes, in College we played a lot, Lucas was terrible, lost all the time, but he kept trying."
"Yeah, Dan told me he was a bad bluffer."
"Yes, he was, and that is bad when you're an attorney. He was a wiz at finding case law and interacting with the clients but put him in front of a jury and he couldn't lie to save his clients for anything."
"So, you worked together when he was practicing law?" Tomorrow asked as they made their way to a table.
"No, Mr. Berrington never would have hired me or Lucas if he was not his stepson. We weren't his type of staunch uptight lawyers he worked with. No, I ran into him a few times in the courthouse, and he was miserable. We hung out over the last few years less and less. When his grandfather became ill, he ran for the island where he was always happy."
Tomorrow took a sip of her water, nodding her head in agreement, "he did love this place. I wanted to spread his ashes here, but his mother wouldn't have it."
"I assume she doesn't know you're pregnant, I'm sure she would have told me." Keith said.
"No, I haven't told her she was so angry when she was here, I really don't want to deal with her."
"I can understand that. She expected to inherit this place from her father and when Lucas was named, she was livid. Lucas thought she was out of her mind to think she would receive the resort. Her father knew she hated the place. She would have had it bulldozed and sold off the land in parcels." Keith looked around. "I love what he did to the place. He made it a great place for single people. So, he has been gone, about three months. Your probate should be over soon."
"I have no idea," Tomorrow said, looking totally confused. She knew her attorney was taking care of the LeMoine estate back in Texas, but she hadn't thought about it.
"What does your attorney have to say?" Keith asks, equally concerned.
"I don't have one here, no one told me I needed one."
"Ok well you do; I'll check into finding you one on Monday. We need to see if you could get a break on inheritance taxes since he just paid them, but I doubt it." Keith told her as their salad was served.
"Thank you, this is all new to me."
"I can understand most young people don't have to deal with death, much less Wills. If I wasn't an attorney, I wouldn't know about it either, but you have to have his estate go through probate. I will handle it. Mrs. Berrington says he had a Will and left it all to you."
"He did and I thought he was being ridiculous, but here I am. Any help you can give me is appreciated. I'll show you what I have after dinner. I know he had a trust," Tomorrow told him, almost feeling she was being disloyal to Lucas allowing him to be involved with his estate. However, she had no idea what to do. With the way her life is going she had better learn quickly.
"Well, you should be fine then he knew what he was doing."
Caller ID flashed her Attorney's name, she thought how prophetic he would call right now. "Hello," she chimed.
Yeah, so what do you have for me?
What, I don't have that kind of money.
Ok, that is a relief.
So, when I sell the house, I'll be good.
Ok, so I have to empty the place first.
Sure, on an episode of hoarders.
No, I was thinking about opening a resale store.
Yeah, maybe, and call it the LeMoine's Estate Sale and sell a lot of it. People in our area would come in just out of curiosity don't you think.
Right, oh what did they have?
I have a friend in mind. Remember that guy in the wheelchair. He would be good. No, he can't take the stuff out of the house, but he could run the place and hire the people to help.
So, you have seen it.
Ok, so a small empty Wal-Mart would work?" Tomorrow said, thinking about the old Wal-Mart building sitting vacant a few blocks from Dante's apartment would be perfect.
"Well, let me contact him and see if he is interested first, then if you would set him up with a business realtor.
Ok perfect I'll call you back when I know.
Yeah, I'm sure it would be interesting to see it all.
Yes in a few weeks for a few weeks. I have a lot going on here too."
Ok, I'll get back to you soon."
Tomorrow closed her phone. She had an old one, but the thought of learning something new right now was overwhelming. She has watched Ty and Yesterday sliding their fingers across their phones and finding all kinds of information on them, but no not yet for her.
"That was my attorney. He is working on the LeMoine estate. Somehow it was left to me. Apparently, Lydia was a chronic on-line shopper, and the second floor of a large home is packed with high priced items. So, I'm going to sell all the stuff I can. Well, you heard what I said. They were house poor, so I need to sell it to pay the taxes. I wouldn't want that place anyways.
"I'm sure, lots of bad memories, why don't I pick up the Trust and any other papers you think I need for the estate in the morning. I'll let you go ahead and make your calls," Keith suggested.
With a side hug, he picked up his winnings and made his way back to the poker game. That sounds like more fun than dealing with a Will tonight.
Tomorrow smiled as he walked away, she figured he wasn't too excited to start working on this mess. She hoped he could obtain a reprieve on the estate taxes. "Ok Dante please be up for this.
"Hi, can we talk?
Oh, good Mandy is sleeping, I was hoping I called late enough.
Good, ok, so this might be too much for you, but when I found out, I inherited the LeMoine estate I thought of you.
Yeah, I have a job for you if you're interested.
Ok, now wait. I'll pay you under the table, so it doesn't mess up your Social Security. I'm sure you have heard that they had a ton of stuff. I want to open a resale shop and wanted to see if you would run it.
Yeah, I know you don't walk well, and you can hire whomever you want to help you. Please Dante I need someone I can trust.
Yes, I plan to come in a few weeks right after the brunt of the spring break crowd is gone," Tomorrow said, noting he didn't sound too interested.
"Come on Dante, you need something to do, and you can make money. I'll help you find a nice house.
We are talking about thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of stuff. I think we need to find a place big enough to have a storage area. You can put out stuff as the other things sell, and people will come back to see what's new. Before you say no, I'll have my lawyer come out and take you there. Look it over and see what you think. It would give you something to do, an outlet.
If I could, I would come back and take care of it all, but I have to be here. Thank you and I hear there are a bunch of little girls' toys and clothes and whatever. You can take it all if you want it or sell it whatever," Tomorrow said, so relieved he will at least go look. How he will get to the second floor, she doesn't know.
"Ok, I will be there soon just seeing what you can accomplish. My attorney is Martin Palmer. He isn't the greatest, but he is who I have, and he knows people who can help you.
Perfect if you need money, hit Martin up, he knows how to get some.
Thank you, Dante, this is going to be fun. Bye for now."
"Ok, now I need to call mother," she stood and walked to her apartment. This conversation needs to be had in private.
"Hello Mother, do you have time to talk? I need to tell you what I have been doing and where I have been," Tomorrow, told her. She needs to get this over with so when she comes to town, she will be past her being mad.